Rutherford George Montgomery was born on April 12, 1894, in North Dakota, and died on July 3, 1985. He is best known in the UK for his Golden Stallion series, which was printed by Hodder & Stoughton. Our local library had copies of the books when I was a child, and I can remember exactly which shelf they were on; tucked in at the bottom on a separate little set of shelves. I read them and re-read them, and loved this exotic world of the American West, in which Charlie Carter owns the palomino stallion, Golden Boy, who runs with a herd of mares on the Bar L ranch. As well as the wonderful Golden Boy, there was also Trey Spot, Charlie’s black saddle mare.

Montgomery learned about animals while growing up at the family farm. He studied for three years at the Western State College of Colorado, and was in the United States Air Corps during the First World War, from 1917 - 1918. He worked as a Judge from 1932 - 1937, becoming a freelance writer in 1938. Although he is probably best known now for his Golden Stallion series, his most critically acclaimed book was not a horse title. Kildee House was a Newbery Award Honor Book in 1950.

Montgomery had a waspish way with the questions authors are asked time and time again. According to the Gaia Community, when asked “What do you do when you reach a block in your writing?” he tersely replied: “Start another paragraph.”’

Finding the books:relatively easy to find in both their UK and USA printings.

The sequel to this story, Claudia's Five Dollar Horse, Kenoyer wrote alone.

The Golden Stallion’s Adventure at Redstone

Little Brown, Boston, 1959, illus George Giguere

Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1960, illus George Giguere

White Lion, 1974, hb

Charlie goes to Redstone to help his Uncle who has been injured. It turns out theinjury was no accident, but an attempt to steal Uncle Martin’s mares.

SnowmanHawthorn Books, 1962Duell, Sloan & Pearce, New York, 1962

Harry de Leyer buys a big grey horse who should be capable of carrying the heftier girls who ride athis Knox School. However, the horse he has rescued from slaughter turns out to have rather more to him than Harry expected. This is a true story.

The ancient Aztecs worshipped a white stallion they called El Blanco, and believed he brought rain. An old man sees a white colt, and wonders if El Blanco has returned, and will help bringrelief to his parched fields. He sends the horse away from the valley, to keep him safe from the horse-hunters.

In this, the last Golden Stallion adventure, a new family move into an abandonedfarm next to the Bar L Ranch. The farmer’s son, Matt, likes to make trouble, anda feud soon erupts. Charlie and Pedro think the evidence all points one way, andthat Matt is guilty, but in the end they find looks can be deceiving.

Big Red, a Wild Stallion

Caldwell, Idaho, 1971, illus Pers Crowell

Eddy and his father are trying to catch the poachers who are after the stallion Big Red. Thepoachers decide that the only way to get what they want is to rid themselves of their pursuers.

A black mare escapes from her corral so she can have her foal in seclusion, but she iscaptured by a band of wild horses led by Big Baldy, and she and her colt Ebony have toface the dangers of the wild.

The Stubborn One

Duell, 1965

“Brett struggles to keep his ranch running with the help of some friends so that his uncle won’t sell his horse Big Red and the cattle in an attempt to turn Brett’s ranch into a resort.”

The Capture of West Wind

Duell, 1962

“Young Sioux Indian Gray Eagle plans to capture the pinto stallion West Wind to tame and use as a buffalo horse, but the rest of his tribe still think of the horse as just another source of meat.”